The Shattered Line
by Ozy the Talking Haystack
Summary: A hundred years of war shouldn't have been recorded. The gateway shouldn't have been open to Mata Nui. Zei should not have interfered. Yet it came to pass. Who will restore balance between Mata Nui, the four nations and the realm that connects them?
1. Prologue: Zei should not have Interfered

Authors Note: I own neither Bionicle nor Avatar: The Last Airbender, although I ask why nobody has thought of this crossover idea before, and if somebody had, why they didn't put it on . :P

The Shattered Line

By Ozy the Talking Haystack

Prologue

The ink was almost gone. He needed a little more, and then he'd be done. The three scrolls had been written out in his own tongue, because he knew that down there there'd be a translator. These next few crucial words, however, would be wrought in their own language.

_Fire_, he marked on one scroll, squinting as his spectacles had long since vanished. _Water._ His hands were shaking as he glanced at the guide that he had found deep in the section of the ancients. _Earth. _He put the brush down on the dragon-shaped ink stand, and pulled another scroll forward, his heart pounding. Sweat was beading on his brow. The three scrolls marked him as a chronicler, but the fourth branded him a thief.

_Read last._ The inkwell was dry now. He picked up the scrolls and placed three of them into his satchel. He unrolled _Earth _and winced as one end clattered to the floor. Clenched in his ink-stained fist was a single, short black feather. It did not affect him as he had been there too long for that. However, if someone "Out There" touched it, well…

He placed the gift above his own story in the scroll and rolled it back up again. He was tired, very tired. Being outside the boundaries of time tended to do that to a person, especially a human. After a while it had taken its toll on him. Though still young in face and feature, his hair had turned white.

"Malachi." He called out. There was a skittering of paws on tile, and a knowledge seeker came running into his private study.

"Take this," he handed the satchel over, "to the Planetarium. I will follow shortly." The knowledge seeker nodded and in acknowledgement, then turned and fled. The figure stooped down and picked up a piece of parchment that had fluttered to the floor. On it was written a single date.

He stepped lightly out of the room and into the main hub, where his friend slept soundly. His friend was what kept the place together. His friend would never approve of what he was about to do. It would be worth it though. They were worth it.

He slowed his breath to the point where he could barely hear it and slipped past the giant hulking form, hoping all the while that his friend would not wake up. It was eerie. There were no sounds in the room other than the beast's deep breathing. He inched all the way across the room and bolted silently into the corridors that lead to the Planetarium. He only stopped long enough to get some water in a jug from one of the adjoining rooms.

_Go go go go GO. _

He was in. The models of the sun, moon and stars hovered above him. Malachi, his favorite knowledge seeker, was waiting for him at the discus in the centre of the room. The time had finally come.

One thing that the Avatar did not discover on his journey here was that the Planetarium, being outside the boundaries of time, could go both to the past or the future. He pulled out the parchment, and then spun the dials to the date inscribed. There was a sharp scrape of stone on stone, and he reached over and pulled the lever. The roof began to shift.

He motioned Malachi to his side. The fox obeyed without hesitation, the satchel still looped around its neck. The moon and stars became still.

He leaned forward and touched the cool stone surface of the yin and yang symbol that marked the centre of the discus. His fingers crept under the stone in certain spots, and he pulled it off (with difficulty, as it was very heavy) and set it aside. Underneath was a hollow, into which he poured the water. As it stilled, an image reflected onto the surface. The scholar frowned and adjusted one of the dials slightly. The water rippled and fell still. He smiled.

"Malachi, don't let anybody see you." With that, he picked up the scrawny creature, satchel and all, and dumped it into the centre of the discus. With a yelp, Malachi descended through the water and vanished. The scholar sighed and settled next to the discus, awaiting Malachi's swift return.

He waited. And waited and waited and waited.

"Zei!"

His eyes snapped open. He must have fallen asleep.

"Zei, where are you?"

"Oh no." He leapt to his feet, adrenaline looping through his veins. Malachi! Where was Malachi? He looked around wildly and nearly panicked as he saw that the fox had not returned yet.

"Zei!"

"I'm in here!" He called out. He knew it would not take his friend long to get here. His eyes darted from the door to the pool to the yin and yang stone. These people were depending on him. So was Malachi. If he was discovered now…

A surge of strength rushed through him, and he picked up the cover.

"I'm sorry Malachi. I'll come back for you later."

He hid the secret just moments later Won Shi Tong came in.


	2. The Meeting of Malachi

Authors note: It's the first time in a long time that I have written for the Bionicle fandom, so forgive me if my knowledge of the Mask of Light era is a little rusty.

Shadows spread out across the earthen floor, and farther down the tunnel the shadows became thicker until it coated the walls. The shadows tended to evoke fear into those who dared to walk beneath the earth.

For Onua, however, these shadows were home. He knew them. This darkness was pure; it did not contain the shadows of the Evil One, although there were fleeting glimpses of it. His green eyes could pierce the darkness, and the darkness held no secrecy to him.

He wandered down the pathway leading from Onu-Koro to Po-Koro, alert. There had been reports of a certain creature that had been roaming the paths that connected the two cities. The reporters said that it appeared to be a rahi, but that it didn't appear to be infected, just dangerous. Regardless, they called him in to take care of it anyways. He didn't know if that made him a heroic toa or a bounty hunter. Actually, he wasn't even a bounty hunter. Bounty hunters got paid. He continued on for some time, thinking about it and about the problem.

The matoran had described it as looking unlike anything they'd ever seen before. All they could say is that it was grey, ran on all fours, and "appeared to be of an organic nature". One of his own, Nuparu, had come out of the encounter with claw marks on his chest and had said that the creature was a "spirit". He had been quite shaken. This was the inventor of the Boxor; he didn't get shaken easily. He wasn't supposed to! Then again, considering that Onua, a toa, had often been terrified during battles, this wasn't exactly a very fair line of thought—

There was a sudden whisper of claws on earth to his right. All thoughts of the bravery of Nuparu and the toa vanished from Onua's mind, and he gripped his quake breakers uneasily as he peered into the darkness. He stomped his foot once, twice. It was a universal underground signal. _Where are you?_

No sound. His breath quickened, and he stiffened. A rock dislodged from behind him, and he whirled around to see a grey shape run away back towards Onu-Koro. The chase was on.

"Come on, I won't harm you. I just want you to go back to where you came from!" He called out, feeling sheepish as he snapped on his quake breakers while he ran. Once on, his speed doubled as he skated along the ground. He could barely make out the fleeing form, but as they past by a light stone, it suddenly vanished.

_What the—_

He skidded to a stop, panting. Again, two stamps. _Where are you?_

_Right here. _The message had come from behind him. He spun around in time to see flashing teeth and jaws coming at his face. "Arrgh!" He toppled backwards with the creature's mouth bit down on his shoulder with a crunch. Suprisingly, it didn't hurt that badly.

"Geroff." He grunted, grabbing the creature around the middle, or trying to anyways. To his shock, his hands slid right through it as if it wasn't there. A rare moment of panic seized him, and he spun over onto his belly. The creature vanished into fog.

"Mata Nui," he muttered aloud, touching his shoulder and drawing his fingers back just as quickly. They were wet with mech fluids. "What was that?" Gingerly he touched the wound again, and felt bite-marks in the armor. Whatever it was had jaws that were strong enough to pierce metal.

There was a rush of wind, and the creature appeared in front of him again. It couldn't have been much taller than a matoran at shoulder-height. Everything about it was streamlined, sharp. It looked back, eyes cast in shadow as Onua staggered to his feet, protodermis leaking down his arm. It circled around him as Onua carefully followed it, not letting his eyes off of it. "You are no rahi." He stated. The creature stiffened and stopped. Onua realized that it was sentient, whatever it was.

"Who sent you?"

A low snarl rippled out of the dark. The creature snapped its jaws and rushed at the tunnel wall, melting through it like it was not there.

"Two can play at that game." Onua stepped back, checking the structures of the tunnel, and then starting to dig where it had vanished. Dirt flew, rocks tumbled, and pretty soon he could see the bare tip of its tail. For the next half hour he kept at it, always keeping the white bunch of fur in sight.

He tumbled out into dank air with a yelp of surprise. It was a short fall before the earth made a painful introduction to his face and he tumbled to a standstill. He lay there for a moment, stunned.

_Get up._

Another universal signal, although it could swing both ways. Onua staggered to his feet, blinking.

A yelping snarl to his right. Onua's eyes were blinded by a flash of light. "Aaargh!"

What was it doing? Did it have a lightstone in its mouth?

There was a heavy thump by his feet. Smooth fur brushed his knees.

"Hide the lightstone. I cannot see."

The stone rolled away, and Onua rubbed his eyes. "That's better." He stooped down, and his hands connected with leather, cracked and old. He picked it up. It was a bag of some sort, like the type he'd seen the new Chronicler, Hahli, carrying around.

"Are you giving this to me?"

The creature ran again. Onua, getting exhausted, slipped the satchel on him. The bitemark on his shoulder no longer leaked, but it was still rather tender. "Wait up!" It only paused long enough to give him a contemptuous look, and then went on.

They did not go far. Onua screeched to a halt as he came upon the edge of an underground pool. The beast did not hesitate, but leapt into the water with barely a ripple.

"I'm not going in."

It swam around for about a minute while Onua watched, gaining back his strength. Whatever this thing was, something told him that he wouldn't be able to kill it. No one would.

It climbed out. Not a drop of water rested on the beast, and it lay down near the water's edge, about twenty meters from where Onua was standing. It looked at the water dejectedly.

"Were…were you waiting here?" Onua called out. The creature's head shot up.

"Why?" Onua's patience was running a bit thin.

It stood up and walked towards the Toa of Earth. It nudged his leg, and Onua flinched, remembering the bite mark. It sat down.

_Show me the way._

"Why are you here?"

It nodded to the satchel. Onua sighed, opened it and grabbed one of the items inside. He was quite surprised to discover several scrolls within.

"Read last." He opened it slightly. His eyes froze to the parchment. After several moments, he rolled it shut.

"I can't read it. I'm sorry. Is this why you are here?"

It stared at him, black eyes unblinking.

"If I take this to someone who can read this, then will you stop attacking the matoran along the pathway to Po-Koro?" It nodded.

"Fine then. Stay here." Onua started walking. The creature padded alongside.

"Didn't you hear me? St—whoa!" he jumped back as the creature snapped at his foot.

_I am coming._

"Very well. Just don't attack anybody, unless I say so."

And so the second mistake was made.


	3. The First Scroll

Authors Notes: Obviously, I own nothing except for maybe Caro and Kyra, the village healers. Ga-koro didn't have any healers last time I checked, so I decided to use my author powers to make some. Also, if there are any errors please tell me as I can't really think straight at the moment. Thank you and enjoy.

* * *

Nokama sighed and put her head in her hands. A lantern filled with glowing jellyfish flung patterns of water onto the walls of her seaweed hut. Normally this would soothe her and remind her of what she once was, long ago back in her city, but today it was putting her on edge. She felt like she was swimming through Tarkava-infested waters, and she didn't even know why.

Maybe it was darkness of the night. The moon was staying hidden by a veil of clouds, and Nixie had not been able to see the stars tonight, meaning that any potential warnings or messages from the Great Beings were hidden from them.

Maybe it was the fact that, mere hours before, as the sun was setting, Onua, the Toa of Earth had come running up to the entrance of Ga-Koro, carrying a satchel of large scrolls that he asked for her to decipher. Maybe it was the look of worry on his face. Maybe it was the strange rahi-like creature that traveled beside him and never made a sound, with black eyes that reminded her, strangely, of the Vahi, the Mask of Time. It had unsettled her far more than Onua's strange tale had. The creature had hurt Matoran, and judging from the bite mark in Toa Onua's shoulder, had harmed him as well. So why was Toa Onua allowing it free range? The beast did not have the pang of evil that was evident in the infected rahi, but at the same time she was scared of it.

Maybe it was the words that were wrought out onto the scroll that she was reading, the one labeled "Water" (she decided to summon the other Toa later before she touched the ones labeled "Fire" and "Earth").

_Water... Earth... Fire... Air..._

Nokama frowned. Why only these four elements? Where was Stone? Where was Ice?

_My name is Zei, and I chronicle these things in many voices, to serve as a history and a warning to whoever reads this. These are the things which a water peasant, Katara, has told me, though not directly._

Nokama shivered. A warning? Against what? And whose history was this?

_My grandmother used to tell me stories about the old days, a time of peace when the Avatar kept balance between the Water Tribes, Earth Kingdom, Fire Nation, and Air Nomads._ _Back then, they knew what it was to intermarry without fear. They knew what it was to have friends that spanned all four nations. They did not know what war, true war, was like. They were blessed. But even blessings come to an end._

What was an Avatar? Some form of Great Being? A toa? The word itself had no equal in the other languages that Nokama knew.

_Only the Avatar mastered all four elements. Only he could keep the peace. But when the world needed him most, when the Firelord went insane, he vanished._

"Insane," Nokama whispered, and shivered. 'Firelord' also had no basis, but she suspected that he must have been some sort of leader, maybe a Turaga or a Toa of Fire. And whatever this 'Avatar' was, he could not have been a toa. A toa cannot use any other element other than his or her own. It would be like a Toa of Ice using fire, or Toa Gali controlling the wind. Whoever it was, he must have been a Great Being.

_Some people believed that the Avatar was never reborn into the Air Nomads and that the cycle was broken, but I never lost hope. I still believed that somehow the Avatar would return to save the world. _

_Imagine everyone's shock when it actually did happen, and it was my brother and I who found him._

Here the first small section ended, and Nokama rubbed her temples. She felt like she was a dim-witted student who could not grasp the information in front of her.

There was a sudden scurrying by the door, and the Turaga of Water glanced up. By the door was the creature that had traveled (somehow Nokama could npt bring herself to believe that the thing had 'followed' Onua) with the Toa of Earth to Ga-koro. Beside it was a rather nervous-looking Kotu.

"Yes?" Nakama said.

"Toa Onua has decided to spend the night in the guest hut and has asked for a bit of medical assistance as well, if the Honorable Turaga can spare it."

"Tell him that I'll send for Caro and Kyra at once." She nodded at the creature. "And what of it?"

"I--" Kotu said, "I'm not entirely sure. I believe it wants to stay here for the night."

A moment of dead silence passed.

"Kotu, could you leave us alone for a moment? I need to talk to our friend here."

Kotu nodded, and then backed out of the hut. The creature stared at Nokama, and Nokama stared back. Neither of them said a word.

Finally, the beast broke the stare by stepping forward and planted it's haunches in front of Nokama's desk. Nokama frowned.

"I don't know what you are or who you are, but what give you the right to attack the Matoran?" News traveled fast among the Turaga. It hadn't taken long for her to hear about the attacks.

It tilted its head up defiantly, eyes growing cold as ice. Nokama nearly swore in frustration. It was horrible having to deal with Rahi. They couldn't speak! Maybe Nuju could understand them but she could…not. Her eyes widened. Why hadn't she thought of it before?

"I can't understand you, but I know someone who can." She said slowly.

The creature looked at the scroll on the desk, a question written on its face.

"I can understand the language, but I don't quite understand the words themselves yet. It will take me some time to get through them."

It looked at the door, then back at Nokama. The action was unmistakable. _Who?_

"Someone who lives in a village of ice and snow."

It's ears perked up, and it cocked it's head. The thing turned it's back on Nokama and looked towards the door. A low growl forced its way through its teeth.

_Guardian. _Nokama realized. A cold chill rippled down her spine. Whatever the scrolls contained, it was enough to have the creature protect them and the ones who held them.

"Be that way." She said curtly, returning to the scroll. _Chapter One,_ it said. _The Boy in the Iceberg._

* * *

It was dark. It was always dark where he lived. There was no light; light could not exist here, as it was the opposite of darkness. There was only the other side of the dark, what was called the light fantastic. It was a sickly white, and it leaked like milk around the stalagmites and stalactites and hovered over the stone floor. It seemed to avoid him. Then again, everyone that was sane seemed to avoid him.

A single high note, different from the other sounds that were produced from the inhabitants of this realm, danced through the air straight to him. The sound of a gate opening, all angles and sharp edges. A pale face turned to greet the sound. Solid armoured plates shifted and clanged together, tiny pebbles fell, hundreds of spiked feet found a new hold.

He settled down again, and his newest face, the one of a blue baboon that was stupid enough to wander into his spider's web (they all seemed to do that) appeared. It snarled, just to hear the sound, then blinked, a sleepy smile appearing on its face. It would only be a matter of time before his new prey walked into his parlor. Only a matter of time before he reencountered his nightmare again. Simply a matter of time now.


	4. I am the Messenger

Author's Notes: School is killing me. Finding time to do ANYTHING creative is getting harder and harder, so updates will be spordaic until I can get things back under control. Once again, if I got any facts wrong in the Bionicleverse, please let me know. Also, yes, the chapter title IS a reference to Markus Zusak because he is awesome and I love all of his books, especially The Book Thief.

* * *

Aang woke up with a jolt, sweat pouring off of him in tiny rivulets. It had been a long time since he had had a restless night's sleep. Ever since the hundred year's war ended two years ago his sleep had been peaceful. He didn't have to worry about waking up in the middle of the night and being forced to flee across the Earth kingdom anymore because a psychotic fire princess/prince was chasing them anymore. True, he still had to watch for assassins (the spirit of war and chaos does not so easily leave people after 100 years of living with it), but other than that he had been able to get used to the comforts of sleeping in a bed again. He was now treated as a honored guest in the Fire Nation, Earth Kingdom and Water Tribes, so as a result he was given great hospitality. Being the Avatar had its definite perks.

So why was he having such a horrible night?

Scenes flickered across his minds eye as he slumped forward, breathing heavily. In the dark he could just faintly see the arrows that marked him as a master airbender. He blinked once or twice as memories of the dreams he just had came rushing back.

_All of the Avatars flashing before him, all fading away. The ground splitting into nothingness and his friends screaming and falling into the black. Yue calling for help as the moon turns blood red. __One of Koh's grinning faces, the Ummi one, staring back at him from under the surface of a pool of water. Fire. Earth. Air. Water. Gone. All of reality coming undone. _

Aang whimpered and laid back down, softly curling into himself. From his cushion in the corner Momo woke up, his ears pricking at the soft sounds of distress coming from his master and friend.

_Last of all, the great swamp. In the shadows Aang could see something small and humanlike. He called out, and it stepped out of the shadows. For a moment, Aang saw its blue mask-like face. "Are you a stranger like me?" He said._

Aang shut his eyes for a moment and took a few deep, calming breaths, and then sat up. Momo, now fully awake, leapt up onto his master's bedside and pawed at Aang's elbow.

"I'm fine now Momo. It's ok." Aang said, patting him on the head. Aang shivered for a moment as he remembered again. "Momo, something is very wrong in the Spirit World."

* * *

Onua opened his eyes and blinked at the golden sunlight filtering in through the window of the seaweed hut. He reached over and patted his shoulder. Though he could still feel the bitemarks, they were not quite as pronounced as they had been the day before. The two healers had done a great job.

He stared at the ceiling, half awake, going over what had happened since yesterday. In the space of only a few hours he had found what was hurting the Matoran. It had injured him, disappeared through solid earth (Onua still had trouble wrapping his mind around it), then given him several scrolls. It followed him all the way back to Ga-koro, then disappeared on him, and Onua had absolutely no idea where it was. Onua rolled over and groaned. That had been one of the most surreal days of his life. He shut his eyes for what seemed to be only a moment.

There was a knock on the door. He startled awake. The sun was now high in the sky.

"Yes?" He called out.

"Toa Nokama requests you to come to her hut immediately, as she has some news and a few messages for you." The voice sounded vaguely familiar. He stumbled upward and blinked, his eyes smarting from the harsh sunlight. He pushed the door open just a crack and peered down at Kotu. Of course.

"I'll be right out in a minute." He grunted.

* * *

"I have to go where?"

"The recent events have…unnerved me. The scrolls aren't enough. We need somebody that can be able to talk to this, well, whatever it is."

"But why Ko-koro?"

"Nuju and Matoro will be able to solve our little dilemma for us."

Onua snorted. This was ridiculous. Nuju spoke in whistles and beeps. How could he understand the creature?

"I've already sent out messengers early this morning to the other koros. The other turaga will know of this by nightfall." Nokama said, indicating that, in her mind, the discussion was over. Onua turned to look at the beast for a moment so that his eyes didn't give away how annoyed he really was. He knew that the turaga were guides for the toa, but this sounded more like a leader that ordered her followers. He'd have to speak to Gali about this later. Maybe she would be able to do something about it. The creature stared back, expressionless.

"Can you at least tell me what you found out before we set out?" He asked, turning his green gaze back to Nokama. She paused for a moment as she pondered this, then she slowly nodded.

"The scrolls contain a history, and all I know for sure is that it can't be our own. So far there's a water toa and her brother trapped out on sea ice, and she just freed a Great Being."

"Sounds more like a story than a history."

"I know, but it states that it is a history at the beginning of the scroll." She shook her head for a moment, as if to clear her mind.

"How late were you up last night?"

"Is it any business of yours?" Nokama said sharply. She was clearly irrational.

"Too late." Kotu muttered under her breath from the door. Only Onua heard her. He nodded to Nokama to show his respects, backed out of the hut with the creature at his heels, and then as soon as he got out of earshot from the door he started snickering.

"I swear, some days I just don't know about females." He said to no one in particular. The creature padded on.

"You know," Onua came to a halt as they walked up to the koro gates. "I really ought to give you a name. I can't keep calling you 'it' all of the time."

The creature stared ahead, completely apathetic as the gatekeeper balanced the stones to open the gate.

Onua thought about it as he nodded his thanks to the gatekeeper. The creature had originally appeared an enemy, then an enigma, then a messenger, then an ally, then a guardian…a messenger. That's what the creature was.

"Well then, Messenger." He said. The creature's head whipped around at that.

"Messenger it is, then."


	5. Interrogation

Author's Note: I am so sorry that I haven't updated in so long. Truth is, I had completely lost inspiration for this story and had fallen out of the Bionicle fandom for a while, but I recently got back into it and gained my inspiration back and finally got rid of some of the plotholes (thank you Inuit folk tales!) so for the moment, I AM BACK. :) Enjoy!

Also, if I got anybody out of character, please let me know. Especially for Kopaka, because he's one of the hardest characters to write. Grr, stoics!

The Shattered Line

Chapter 5

There was the crunch of snow underfoot.

Kopaka glanced up from his post on one of the higher outcroppings of stone on Mount Ihu, where moments before he had been scanning the landscape for signs of the kofu-jaga he had been hunting the day before. His right hand touched the pommel of his sword instinctively, but his grip relaxed when he saw who it was. Kopeke stepped forward and gave a respecful nod. Kopaka nodded back, but noted that the matoran seemed slightly agitated. Self-control was something highly prized among Ko-korans, control of emotions especially so. That this was even noticable at all put Kopaka in a state of unease immediately, though he would not even think to show it.

"Nuju has sent for you." Kopeke said. Not a single word wasted.

"Did he give a reason?" Kopaka asked. Kopeke said nothing, but broke with the Toa's gaze.

"Well?"

"There is word from Turaga Nokama." Kopeke wouldn't look at him. "Toa Onua is heading to Ko-koro now with a message. She says it's urgent."

"I see." Kopaka stared icily. "You're not telling me the whole truth, Kopeke."

The matoran's agitation increased slightly, and he glanced up to look at Kopaka's face. The ice toa blinked. Was that _fear _in Kopeke's eyes?

"You are right. Forgive me." Kopeke said. "Onua has the rahi with him that was causing the attacks between Po-koro and Onu-koro. Alive. There are rumours..."

"Of?"

"The matoran in Ga-koro and Po-koro are talking. They say that it isn't a rahi. Some suggest that it may be a Great Being."

_A Great Being? HERE?_

Kopaka nodded. "I will accompany you back to Ko-koro at once. Let's go."

He glanced back, and suddenly narrowed his gaze. There was a click and a whir as his scope was engaged.

"...Kopaka?" Kopeke asked.

The Toa of Ice nodded, depowered the scope and started walking with Kopeke. "They'll be here in half an hour." He said. "They aren't running."

* * *

"Ah, Toa of Ice. We've been expecting you." Matoro quipped in Nuju's stead. Kopaka nodded his greetings and shook the excess snow off of his sky-blue shawl before stepping inside. It had been a gift to him from the Ga-korans after he had warded off several infected Takea sharks and a Tarkava from the fishing grounds a month ago while Gali was in Ta-koro. He normally didn't think much of clothing, but sky blue was a rare colour due to how difficult it was to find the kuru blossoms that were the main ingredient for the dye, and he had been touched by their gift.

"I assume you have heard of the attacks in the tunnels between Po-koro and Onu-koro?" Nuju clicked.

"Yes. Kopeke gave me a brief summary." _Get on with it!_

"Turaga Nokama has sent word. The rahi in the tunnels was no ordinary rahi. It is sentient and intelligent, but it cannot speak our language. It has also delivered scrolls to Nokama by way of Toa Onua."

Kopaka blinked. "That seems to be fairly hard to believe." He said, surprise slipping into his voice.

"If the word had not come from Nokama, I would have thought it to be a misinterpretation." Matoro translated. Nuju whirred and beeped. "Since I have a limited ability to understand the language of the rahi, Onua and the rahi are on their way here, to see if I can get any information from the creature. I wish for you to listen, and I suggest going to Ga-koro soon afterwards, to examine the scrolls for yourself."

Kopaka nodded. The conversation over, he settled himself onto the floor and waited. Within ten minutes, the announcement went up that the Toa of Earth had arrived, but muffled shouts quickly followed from the gate.

Kopaka jumped to his feet, and Nuju started, then exploded in a flurry of exasperated whistles and clicks. Matoro started to translate, but Kopaka was already out the door and running through the snow. The message was clear anyways; the Turaga had forgotten to inform the guards at the gate of the presence of a strange rahi.

"It's alright, it's ok, he's with me!" Onua exclaimed as Messenger snarled at the pointed spears aimed at his direction. "They're not letting us in." He said, seeing Kopaka approach.

"And nor they should, normally. For all they know, you may be undergoing the first stages of the Makuta's infection. They're just following training." _And quite well too_, Kopaka thought approvingly. He looked at the guards. "However, there are exceptions to this. Orders from Nuju, stand down!"

The two guards lowered their spears and smartly saluted. Onua and the rahi walked through the gates, and Kopaka fell in behind them. This offered him the chance to take his first really good look at the creature.

_Smaller than most rahi, but big enough to be a near-lethal threat against the matoran and fairly formidable against a toa. Seems built more for speed than strength, though judging from the mark on Onua's shoulder this thing has a nasty bite. It's overall shape is puzzling; it's smooth, and it looks like it's covered in some sort of fur. I can't see any mechanical-looking parts in it, save for the teeth...is this rahi fully organic, or biomechanical like us? It looks like it breathes like us, so that rules out the purely mechanical...it's more graceful than a normal rahi too. What is this thing?_

They came to the central temple, and Onua stepped over the threshold and respectfully bowed.

"Greetings, Turaga." He said. The creature walked in past him, it's claws making clicking sounds on the frozen tile floor. Kopaka heard Matoro breathe in sharply as it did. It walked right up to Matoro and Nuju and promptly sat down.

"Greetings, Toa of Stone, your visit is most welcome." Nuju trilled. "But now, to business." The Turaga of Ice turned to the creature. "I am able to understand rahi and their various languages," Matoro translated, "and if you could answer a few questions for us, we'd be most grateful."

The rahi said nothing.

"Who are you?" Nuju asked. The creature let out a snort.

"Alright then, the better question would be 'What are you'?" Matoro translated. That got a much more verbal response from the rahi. It stood up and made several sniffling, barking sounds while walking back and forth, almost in an agitated manor.

"He says he is something called a knowledge fox."

_An unknown rahi then. Nokama wasn't joking when she said that this thing was sentient. _Kopaka mused.

_"_Where are you from?"

The response was similar. "It said that it was from the Great Library of...Wongshitong." Nuju blinked. "I think that's what that name is. I'm not going to keep calling you 'it', so do you have a name?"

A deeper growl, a yelp and a gnash of jaws. Nuju blinked again. "I'm sorry, I can't pronounce that. Could you repeat that?" Even with a repeat performance, Nuju still couldn't pronounce it.

"I got the first syllable, which was 'Mal'. I didn't catch the rest."

"I call him 'Messenger'." Onua said. All eyes turned to him, and he seemed to shrink back a bit. "What? He seemed to like it."

"Messenger or Mal?" Nuju quipped. The knowledge fox turned it's head towards Onua and his tongue lolled out for a few seconds before licking his chops.

"I'll take that as "Messenger'." Kopaka said, willing the interview to go on.

"You say you are from a library. Where is this library?" Nuju pressed.

A single bark this time, high-pitched. Nuju started. "I'm sorry, could you repeat that?" Messenger growled, then did so.

Nuju let out a series of clicks and whirs, his eyes widening. Matoro started himself, forgetting to translate.

"What is it?" Onua exclaimed. Kopaka leaned forward, his eyes gleaming. To shock a Ko-matoran, much less the Turaga of Ko-koro, meant that either the news was incredibly good, or incredibly bad.

Nuju suddenly exploded into movement. He grabbed his ice pick and swung it, blunt-ended, towards Messenger, and through him.

Onua gave a sharp "Hey!" and stepped forward, the sucked in his breath at the lack of damage. Kopaka's eyes widened in shock. Messenger growled, baring his teeth. Nuju dropped his ice pick and let out several low, gutteral sounds that Kopaka had never heard him make before.

"I'm sorry, I just had to make sure." Matoro numbly translated, staring as Nuju quietly held out his hand. For a few tense seconds, it looked like Messenger would bite him, but the creature's tense muscles relaxed slightly.

"He pulled the same stunt on me when I found him in the caverns." Onua said, then, more quietly, "Where is Messenger from?" Nuju touched the top of Messenger's head, and Messenger was solid. Then he tried again, and his arm dipped through Messenger's head and slid down into his chest. He pulled it out and looked at it, then at Messenger again. He stepped back, and to Kopaka's surprise, bowed down low to the ground. Matoro obediently followed suit.

"Welcome, Messenger from the Spirit World." Nugu beeped. Onua's jaw sagged open. "It is not often that a message comes to us from the Great Beings, and there has never been a physical messenger." Kopaka bowed his head in respect. Onua was too shocked to do the same. "What is your message?"

The knowledge fox crouched and poked his nose under the bottom of Nuju's mask and tapped upwards three times. The language was unmistakable. _Please rise, and do not bow to me._ Nuju took the hint and stood to his feet, Matoro doing the same. Several barks later, Nuju frowned. "The message is in the scrolls he brought. Unfortunately, he doesn't know the message himself." Nuju turned to the knowledge fox. "Who sent you? Was it Mata Nui?" A growl. "Was it the Makuta?" Another growl. "Was it Wongshitong?" A growl, followed by two snaps of the jaw.

"He said it was from Zei." Matoro translated. "Whoever this Zei is, he must be important." That was Matoro's own opinion.

Kopaka had heard enough. "I'm going to Ga-koro." He announced. "If this being is telling the truth," _and whatever else can be said, it was obvious after the stunt with the pickax that he is a spirit_, "I want to know what the message is."

"I'll come with you," Onua said, "but I want to ask Messenger one more question." He turned to the spirit. "Why did you attack the matoron between Po-koro and Onu-koro?"

"Self-defense." Matoro said, before Messenger could even start to growl. "Well, it's fairly obvious, isn't it?" He retorted to the surprised looks Onua and Nuju were giving him. "The attacked matoron probably thought he was an infected rahi and attacked him first, and he retaliated out of self-defense. I don't blame the matoron for it."

"It's a possibility." Kopaka conceded. "Now, for my question." He knelt down at the knowledge fox's level and looked him in the eye. "You have delivered your message. What will you do now?"

Messenger sat down, and his tail and ears drooped. He lowered his head and began to let out several high-pitched, whining sounds. Nuju stared. Matoro let a small, pitying smile slip past his defenses.

"You want to go home, don't you?" he said. The knowledge fox nodded, and his whining quieted. Kopaka stood. "I've heard enough. Let's go."

Nuju beeped and whistled. "I would prefer that the messenger stay here, as I have other questions to ask him."

"Will you stay?" Onua asked. Messenger stopped whining and looked up. He got to his feet and walked over to where Nuju and Matoro stood.

"Fair enough. See you later, Messenger." And with that, Onua and Kopaka left.


End file.
